The Lies We Tell
by kcpiratey05
Summary: Oneshot. Elizabeth disobeys the Captain's orders.


She walked into his cabin with a hesitant step, knowing full well the last thing he'd want to do was speak to her at this moment, but the rum fresh in her belly and the flush creeping up on her cheeks clouded her better judgement. Peering through the door, she found Jack staring out of the window, watching St. Mary's Island shrink into the distance. He gave no indication that he'd heard her enter or maybe he had, but was simply trying to ignore her.

"Jack?" Elizabeth spoke quietly. He didn't answer.

"Jack?" She repeated louder and less patient.

"What is it, Elizabeth?" He bit back with indelible iciness, never turning to face her.

The formal use of her first name was enough to render her speechless on a normal day, but she pressed on anyway. "I just wanted to say…"

"I think you've said enough for one day." He interrupted her gruffly, before taking a swig from the bottle of rum that hung from his sloppily bandaged hand.

"I think you're being a touch dramatic, don't you?" She scoffed at his childish avoidance.

"No, I don't." He spat. "There'll be no sweeping this little incident under the rug, count on that."

"Is that so?" She asked, her temper beginning to flare. Hands resting upon her hip, she watched him pace from the window toward his desk, sparing her no glance whatsoever.

"Yes." He answered heatedly, sitting in his chair and slamming his bottle upon the desk before rifling through the charts in front of him. "So, if you've finished prattling on, the door is that way." He said pointing haphazardly toward the exit as he kept his face in his maps.

Elizabeth couldn't believe he was speaking to her with such hostility. Had she really upset him so? "Jack! Look at me, please." She pleaded with him.

Sighing, Jack threw down his quill and looked her dead in the face. "Elizabeth, I am both too tired and too old for this game."

"What game? What are you talking about?" She asked, confused.

"Perhaps you should return to your cabin and come back to this conversation when you've had a chance to clear your head." He suggested before returning his focus to his desk.

" _My_ Cabin?" She asked incredulously.

"You remember where it is, don't you? I know it's been some time since you've used it." He said with no shortage of sarcasm as he sipped from his bottle.

"Ugh! You no good, insufferable, filthy, scoundrel." She grumbled, stomping toward his desk and unceremoniously yanking the bottle away from his face. "I _saved_ your sorry hide back there, or have you forgotten?" She took a deep pull from the bottle and the red in her cheeks deepened.

"You're drunk." He observed as she stood over him.

"Have you forbidden me from doing that as well?" She asked meaningfully, turning away from him.

Jack gave a small chuckle. "I understand that bedding the Captain of a ship comes with its fair share of benefits, but you are treading on dangerous ground _Mrs. Turner._ "

Elizabeth stood stoic, her jaw clenched as she considered the last words that had spewed forth from Jack Sparrow's mouth.

"Have I offended you, darling?" Jack stood up slowly and sauntered toward her. "What was it that finally caught your tongue?" He began tracing a finger across her cheek and down her neck, taking great joy in the way it affected her stance. "Was it the recent denial of my services in the boudoir or the painful reminder of your marital transgressions that went along with it?" His finger had traced it's way down her arm and snatched the bottle away from her at the last word.

Elizabeth turned slapped him so quickly, he almost didn't see it coming.

"Ah, so the latter then." He said, rubbing his cheek. "I'm not sure I know why that would offend you. You took great care to remind me that I wasn't your husband not an hour ago…and for all the crew to see."

That was it, then. She knew she crossed a line when she blurted out that particular detail during their row on deck, but she didn't expect him to take it so personally. "You know I didn't mean it like that." She softened.

"And how did you mean it exactly?" Jack pressed, unconvinced.

"You were treating me as if I were your property." That much was true. Jack had never kept her on the Pearl before today. It was as if he all of a sudden realized she was made of porcelain and needed to lock her away. It irritated her beyond measure. It was what Will would have done.

"I was treating you as if you were a member of my crew." He battled back.

"That's a load of bollocks." She rolled her eyes at his sorry excuse for an excuse.

"You can't have it both ways, love. You either want to be treated like everyone else, or you don't. The fact remains, your Captain gave you an order that you deliberately disobeyed." He spoke with condescension and Elizabeth's jaw ticked again. She was not some child to be scolded.

"And if I hadn't, you'd be shark food instead of standing here licking your wounded pride." She yelled, finally fed up with his nonsense. She could never imagine him so prideful that he'd be ungrateful for her help.

Jack crept slowly toward her, backing her up against the window seat. "Darling, I hate to break it to you, but the sharks were circling you long before I was in any danger. You were in over your head and you could have gotten us both killed in the process. I warned you St. Mary's was not a port to be trifled with. I wasn't trying to stifle your freedom. I was trying to keep you safe." He gently rested his hands on either side of her shoulders, moving his right hand to brush a thumb across her cheek.

"This. This is what I mean. I don't need protecting." She said, staying him with her hands on his chest as she ever so slightly gave in to his touch.

"It is a Captain's job to look after his crew. _All_ of his crew. And believe it or not, there are times when I know what's best for everyone." She had slackened enough for him to pull her into his arms.

"Pfft." She muttered into his chest.

"I do believe it was I that warned you not to marry the whelp, said he'd never give you what you wanted. You married him anyway. Not one year later, lo and behold, who comes crawling into my bed?" He offered bombastically.

"You're a perfect ass." She pried herself from his embrace and ran for the open door.

"Oi! No. Come back here." He said chasing her out onto the deck and grabbing her wrist before she ran below deck.

"Let me go." She stamped angrily.

"I don't think so." He said throwing her over his shoulder and hauling her back to his cabin. The whole crew looked on in awe of the scene unfolding before them.

"Jack, put me down this instant." She screeched, legs kicking.

"Nothing to see here, gents; only a little corporeal punishment." Jack paraded aloud as he carried her back toward his cabin.

"Jack!" She yelled again.

"See where insubordination gets you!" He yelled to the deck before crossing the threshold into his cabin. Jack slammed the door shut with his foot before dropping Elizabeth to the floor.

"For someone so keen on kicking me out a moment ago, you sure are going to great lengths to keep me in here." She goaded him.

"For someone who thinks they're so clever, you sure are thick." He said pushing her up against the wall, trapping her with his body.

"Thick, am I?" She exhaled as he leaned down to her ear.

"Quite." He whispered as he pushed himself against her. "You can observe the most subtle tells in an adversary, but you're unable to comprehend that I might have something to lose if anything happened to you." He said softly, capturing her gaze in his.

"I can comprehend better than you think. Did you believe I disobeyed your orders for my own flights of fancy?" She asked pointedly.

"Well…"

"Your plan was flawed…" She cut him off.

"Excuse me, flawed?"

"Yes!…and I wasn't going to let you go in there alone to be slaughtered."

"Oh? And why not?" He asked, looming over her.

"Because I love you, you twit!" She snapped angrily and held his gaze.

Jack descended upon her in an instant, his mouth pressed firmly against her own as they fought for dominance. Elizabeth brought her hands to his chest and brushed the coat from his shoulders. Jack's hands snaked around her back and he lifted her into his arms as he pressed her harder against the cabin wall.

"I came to say I was sorry, you know?" Elizabeth managed to utter between kisses.

"I know." He smirked before capturing her mouth again.

"Then why torture me?" She pulled back.

"Because you deserved it." He pressed his lips to her neck, trailing kisses down to her shoulder.

"Pirate." She said in barely a whisper as she craned her head to allow him better access.

"I love you too." He kissed her hard and carried her over to the bed, the day's transgressions shrinking into the distance along with St. Mary's Island.


End file.
